Geography 292: Geospatial Analysis with Web GIS

 

• WebAppBuilder and Experience Builder are intuitive what-you-see-is-what-you-get builders that allow you to create 2D and 3D web apps without writing a single line of code. They share a similar workflow for creating web apps and they have the following key features: they create pure HTML and JavaScript apps that are cross platform, they use responsive web design technologies to create web apps that work well on desktops, tablets, and smartphones, they include numerous out-of-the-box widgets that can be flexibly remixed and configured, they include a collection of configurable themes or templates so you can customize the look and feel of the apps, and they provide extensible frameworks for developers to create custom widgets, themes, or templates. 
• These aspects are ONLY available through Experience Builder: provides flexible layouts so you can build apps that are map centric or non-mapcentric and can display them on a fixed or scrolling screen and on single or multiple pages, it was built with a mobile-first design, it can integrate both 2D and 3D content within one app, and it adds action triggers so you can make a widget respond according to actions that the other widget performs. 
• Widgets are typically JavaScript or HTML components that encapsulate a set of focused functions. They can be categorized into two groups: Data-independent widgets- Basemap Gallery, Measurement, and Draw widgets are not related to the operational data layers and need little to no configuration. The other group is Data dependent widgets- Query and Chart widgets are related to specific attribute fields of specific layers within the app. They often require detailed configuration.
• Mobile GIS refers to GIS for use on mobile devices and has the following advantages: Mobility, Location awareness, ease of data collection, near-real-time information, Large volume of users, and versatile means of communication. 
• Mobile GIS is built on the following technologies: mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, mobile operating systems (abdroid, IOS, microsoft), wireless communication technology such as bluetooth and wi-fi, and positioning technology like GPS and other approaches. 
• Mobile GIS is related to many popular types of apps and frontiers, including LBS, VGI, VR, and AR
• description of an application: The town I am from, Portsmouth, Ohio, had a flood in 1937. I would create a web map of the areas of my city that were affected by flood waters. This would mostly be for history buffs interested in the history of Portsmouth, and for them to see a visual representation of what the city looked like while it was flooded. To do this, I would use Web AppBuilder and upload a map of Portsmouth, Ohio. I would then add some data-dependent widgets and so if someone wanted to hover over a specific building in Portsmouth, the height of the flood water at that specific building would pop up as well as the exact day corresponding to that measurement.

Chapter Three:

Widgets: A JavaScript component that encapsulates a set of focused functions. 

Basic Widgets: functional widgets that can perform as app tools. 

Layer widgets: The containers that help organize widgets on your pages or windows. 

• Using experience builder to make web experiences.

Pick a premade template or start from scratch, select a theme, add source data, add widgets, and finally refine layouts. 

• The basic components: 

A web experience has at least one page. Pages and windows are the backbone of these web experiences. Widgets should be added as well. 

Pages: A document that is the foundation for the app’s layout. A page has 3 main elements including a header, a footer, and a body. 

Windows: Complementary to pages. Windows only has body content. The common uses of Windows are splash, alert, confirm, and Tool Tips. 

Chapter four: 

Mobile app development: There are many different approaches to this including: 

Browser-based approach: builds apps using HTML, JavaScript, and Cascading style sheets. This strategy has the potential to reach all mobile platforms. 

Native-based approach: This requires native development skills like Java for Android. These apps have deep-level access to device hardware and other resources. These apps are often more expensive. 

Hybrid-based approach: Integrates native components and HTML to build native applications. More advanced methods include the use of frameworks to allow for deeper integration with the native platform. 

API- ArcGIS offers APIs which stand for application programming interface. ArcGIS API for Java supports both browser-based and hybrid-based. ArcGIS Runtime software development kits(SDK) for IOS. ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Android and ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt support native based approach. It’s a very complicated system. 

• Ultimately API’s offer similar core functionalities like editing and graphics, and the ability to access ArcGIS web and map services. 

ArcGIS Indoors- I thought this was cool because this platform was made so you can take it on the go which made me think of the outdoors, not the indoors. They describe ArcGIS Indoors as providing an indoor mapping experience for understanding the location of things and activities happening within your organization’s indoor environment. 

They give us a few phrases to help us learn Indoor GIS. 

Wayfinding and navigation: ArcGIS Indoors interacts with Bluetooth and wifi indoor positioning systems to show users where they are on an indoor map, where to go, and how to get there. 

Calendar integration: this app allows users to see where their scheduled meetings are located and navigate between them, knowing estimated travel times and avoiding being late for important events. 

Explore and search: This app allows users to explore and search for specific people, activities and events, offices and classrooms, and other points of interest. 

Location sharing and tracking: Users can share their locations. Organizations can identify employee locations to support directing resources or others to support ongoing activities. 

• I was thinking of developing a mobile app that was centered around condos in the Delaware County area. The Delaware area is building a lot of new condos and developing new neighborhoods. This app would be useful for younger people looking to move to Delaware. This app could also include the school district so if buyers are pickier, they can specifically look at school districts with condos available in that area.

Chapter One: 

This chapter was kind of a basic introduction chapter of all the concepts needed to understand Web GIS. Web GIS is the combination of the web and geographic information systems. The first operational GIS was made in the 60s. Since then GIS has developed from a local file-based single computer system to a central database clients/server system. 

WebGIS has many advantages including the following:

Global Reach:  You can share geographic information easily, within your organization and with people all over the world. 

Large number of users: You can share your app with dozens, or even millions supported by scalable cloud technology 

Low cost: per user: The cost of building one web gis app is lower than building a desktop solution

Better Cross-platform capabilities: web apps can run on desktop and mobile platforms 

Easy to use: Web GIS apps incorporate simplicity and intuition. 

Easy to maintain: web clients can benefit from the latest programs and data updates each time they access a web app. 

This chapter shows you how to create web maps in a few different ways. 

Chapter Two:

Types of hosted layers-

Hosted feature layers: these layers support vector feature querying, visualization, and editing. Most appropriate for visualizing data on top of your base maps. 

Hosted Web Feature Service layers: These layers are open geospatial consortium WFS standard-compliant

Hosted tile Layers: these layers support fast map visualization using a collection of pre-drawn map images or tiles

Hosted vector tile layers: These layers reference a set of web-accessible tiles containing 2D and 3D vector content and the corresponding style for how those tiles should be drawn

Hosted web map tile service layers: these layers are OGC WMTS standard-compliant

Hosted scene layers: These layers support fast map visualization of 3D data using a collection of cached tiles. 

Hosted image layers: These layers can display raster data by dynamically combining various bands, and they support the dynamic analysis of raster data such as imagery and other information captured by remote sensing devices. 

Hosted map image layers: This layer type is supported in ArcGIS Enterprise 10.8 and later

Mapping Styles:

Heat map: Displayers the relative density of points as smoothly varying sets of colors ranging from cool to hot.

Color and size: Using the symbol color and size to show one or two numeric fields

Compare A to B: Displayed the relationship between two numeric fields using ratio or percentage

Relationship: Visualizes the relationship between two number fields using bivariate choropleth mapping

Dot density: Uses dot density to display the distribution of one or more numeric fields

Predominant: Displayed the predominant category or level of predominance among two or more fields. 

Type and size: Represents the numeric fields by size and category fields by color 

Continuous timeline: Uses colors or sizes to represent data sequentially from new to old

Vector field: Uses direction and magnitude to display imagery data. 

This chapter also teaches us how to create a feature layer using geocoding, how to configure layer style using smart mapping, configure layer pop-ups using ArcGIS Arcade, and more. 

• In 291, I think I did a map of all parcels in Delaware County selected that have 4 or more bedrooms so a salesman would know where to sell his pillows. I could now use a dot density map to target the neighborhoods with more people in them so he could have a wider variety of where people live. 

5 main types of content in Web ArcGIS

• Data: supports data in many formats CVS, shapefiles, GPS Exchange Format, JavaScript Object Notation (GeoJSON), photos, imagery, geodatabases. 
• Layers: Esri geospatial cloud hosts many layers including, feature layers, tilled layers, vector tiles, map image, image layers, scene layers, CSV layers, tables, and Open Geospatial Consortium, Web Map Services, web Map Tile Services, and web Feature Services. 
• Web maps + scenes: web maps are 2D, scenes are 3D and they male up 1 or multiple layers + allow sophisticated layer configuration like style, pop-ups, access permission, and labels. 
• Tools: Tools perform analytical functions like geocoding, routing, generating PDF files, summarizing data, finding hot spots, and analing proximity. 
• Apps: GIS apps were made to work on mobile devices, desktops, and browsers. 

Main user types + privileges for the essential app bundle

• Viewer→  can view items, can’t create, edit, share, or analyze items.
• Storyteller → can create stories and express maps, can’t create other types of content.
• Editor → can view and edit data, can’t analyze, create, or share items. 

Mapping styles 

• Heat map → displays the relative density of points as smoothly varying sets of colors ranging from cool to hot 
• Color and size → uses symbol color and size to show one or two numeric fields
• Compare A to B → displays the relationship between 2 numeric fields using ratio or percentage
• Relationship → Visualize the relationship between two number fields using bivariate choropleth mapping
• Predominant → displays the predominant category or level of predominance among two or more fields.
• Dot Density → uses dot density (and color) to display the distribution of one or more numeric fields. 
• Type and Size → represents numeric fields by size and category fields by color.
• Continuous timeline (color or size) → uses colors or sizes to represent data sequentially from new to old. 
• Vector field → uses direction and magnitude to display imagery data. 

Include a few-sentence description of an application based on ideas from Chapters 1 & 2.

Over the summer I worked as an intern for a highway road and bridge project happening on the east side of Columbus . I would create an application to show the yard’s where material is being stored and the field offices and other storage trailers. I would make a feature of where the new road will cover and a feature for temporary roads, exits, etc. I would also add descriptions to the yards and what material is currently being stored at that location. I could also make a layer of pipe installed/ removed so it would be easier for foreman, operators, and labores to visualize so accidents can be prevented. Another feature could also be oil, gas, paint spills made on the job over the whole project just so either the city can have that information for their records and any clean up crews that might be needed after the project is finished. If we wanted information on safety around construction zones a layer could be made of accident reports and a description of the severity of the accident can be made whether that be workers or vehicle crashes. 

 

Reading notes:

 

• Web GIS serves as a central database with a global reach, providing a cost-effective solution for users. Its primary purpose is to facilitate data analysis.

 

• Web GIS consists of five main types of content: data layers tools web maps + scenes and apps. 

 

• Data can be used to publish web layers; web layers can be used to create web maps and web scenes; web maps and scenes and web tools can be used in apps or to create apps

 

In my application, I would aim to analyze the potential of a specific place of interest by visualizing job growth over time. To achieve this, utilizing relevant data, through the use of color or size, I will represent the progression from new to old job opportunities, allowing insight into the area’s economic development

 

Chapter 1:

Web GIS has five main types of content: data, layers, tools, web maps and scenes, and apps. 

There are different user types that have access to different app bundles and apps.

Viewer – can view items but can’t create, edit, share, or analyze items

Storyteller – Can create stories and express maps but can’t create other types of content

Editor – Can view and edit data but can’t analyze, create, or share items

Field Worker – Same as Editor

Creator – Can edit, create, share content, and do analysis

GIS Professional – Same as Creator

Insights Analyst – Same as GIS Professional

Components of GIS:

Basemap layers: Basemaps provide a reference or context for your app.

Operational layers: Operational layers are theme layers that you and other users can use and interact with. You can use existing layers from ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World as your operational layers.

Tools: Tools perform tasks beyond mapping, including common tasks such as query, geocoding, routing, and more specialized tasks. 

 

Chapter 2:

Types of hosted layers 

Hosted feature layers: These layers support vector feature querying, visualization, and editing. Hosted feature layers are most appropriate for visualizing data on top of your base maps.

Hosted Web Feature Service (WFS) layers: These layers are Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) WFS standard-compliant

Hosted tile layers: These layers support fast map visualization using a collection of pre-drawn map images or tiles.

Hosted vector tile layers: These layers reference a set of web-accessible tiles containing 2D and 3D vector content and the corresponding style for how those tiles should be drawn

Hosted Web Map Tile Service (WMTS) layers: These layers are OGC WMTS standard-compliant.

Hosted scene layers: These layers support fast map visualization of 3D data using a collection of cached tiles.

Hosted image layers: These layers can display raster data by dynamically combining various bands, and they support the dynamic analysis of raster data, such as imagery and other information captured by remote sensing devices.

Smart mapping

Heat map: Displays the relative density of points as smoothly varying sets of colors ranging from cool to hot. Available to point features only.

Color and size: Uses symbol color and size to show one or two numeric fields.

Compare a to b: Displays the relationship between two numeric fields using ratio or percentage.

Relationship: Visualizes the relationship between two number fields using bivariate choropleth mapping.

Dot density: Uses dot density (and color) to display the distribution of one or more numeric fields.

Predominant: Displays the predominant category or level of predominance among two or more fields.

Type and size: Represents numeric fields by size and category fields by color.

Continuous timeline: Uses colors or sizes to represent data sequentially from new to old.

Vector field: Uses direction and magnitude to display imagery data

 

I recently read about how there is a species of beetle that will likley become highly invasive in the future, so I would be curios to see if I could find data about the abundance of this species and highlight the prime locations of the most dense populations of beetles. I could do this by selecting the feature layers I wanted to display, or mabe creating a dot density map of the data.

Chapter 1:

• There are many common uses for ArcGIS Online, but most of them revolve around the fact that it is more accessable than the desktop version of ArcGIS because it requires less computing power and has a decreased cost, so it is much easier to share data cross-platform between many different individuals.
• The basic components of a Web GIS app are basemaps (which provide a refrence for data), operational layers (layers that can be interacted with to fit the needs of a specific project), and tools (which perform tasks “beyond mapping” including query, geocoding, routing, and other specialized tasks).
• The tutorial was very straightforward other than some discrepencies from the book to the newer version of the actual program.

Chapter 2:

• Smart-mapping is an interesting concept of increasing efficiency when creating maps for a plethora of different kinds of mapping styles. I wish I had this for GEOG291 lol.
• The basic outline of using Web GIS for storytelling consists of maps, a narrative for the reader to follow, and multimedia to create an “intuitive user experience”.
• Step 7 of 2.2 asks to select the theme “above and below” but I can only chose either above or below, so I decided to just go with above and it doesn’t quite look right compared to the maps in the book.
• Here is the link to my final story (https://arcg.is/9XaOm)

Possible Application:

• A possible application from these chapters could be using using a possible telemetry system for an endangered animal and creating a presentation of maps and graphs convince a committee to allocate more funding for protection in areas that are essential for these animals well-being. Honestly, this could be very useful for anyone creating a presentation that includes maps as integration of these maps is seamless using ArcGIS Online.

Assign: Introduce yourself and indicate you did the stuff for this week. 

Hi! My name is Riley Brokaw and I’m a sophomore studying Environmental Science. I already had access to the OWU ArcGIS Online account from GEOG 291 last semester. 

Spend a few minutes poking around your account, including the icon in the upper-right corner, which takes you to your profile. Add your basic information to My Profile. Also, look at My Settings, My ESRI, Training, Community and Forums, ArcGIS Blog, and Help. Jot down two comments about what you find (for the blog entry for this Lab).

• Some things I found while looking at my account were if you go to Community and Forums, creators can post a blog asking a question about an issue they ran into. It is cool that ESRI created a community for questions pertaining to this software.
•  I also found in the ArcGIS Blog there are many articles on Mapping, Design and Planning that are open for anyone to read and gain more knowledge on a topic they are interested in. 

Use some ESRI resources to learn a bit about ArcGIS Online. Complete a read-through of Get Started: What Is ArcGIS Online. This should take about 30 minutes. Read through the different sections of this web page (stacked along the left of the page) and jot down two comments about what you find (for the blog entry for this Lab).

• With a subscription to ArcGIS Online a learning community can be created with a select members for creating and exploring data all with an administrator managing/ organizing the environment. 
• There is also a mobile app ‘ArcGIS Companion’ that makes it accessible for working out in the field. Being offline and being able to still create maps could save a lot of time for professionals. 

You also have access to ESRI courses online. Complete a free course that introduces you to ArcGIS Online.

• I found that there are 3 different ways to add layers to a web map either ArcGIS Online, local files (use CVS or shapefiles), or sketch layers that can have descriptive information attached.  
• After adding a data layer a neat feature ArcGIS will do is automatically add a symbol but if you decide to change it which is very easy the layer symbology will automatically update. 

• Complete the Delaware Data Inventory (if you did not already do so in Geog 291). I completed this in GEOG 291!! 

• There are 5 main types of content: data,layers,tools,web maps and scenes, and apps. Data can publish web layers; web layers can create web maps and web scenes; web maps and scenes and web tools can be used in apps or to create apps. 
• Today’s best practices suggest that a GIS app have basemaps, operational layers, and tools: Basemaps- provide reference or context to your map. You can use a 2d or 3d basemap, and most of the time you do not need to create a basemap to use one. However you are also able to create and use your own basemaps. Operational layers- these are theme layers that you and other users can use an interact with. Layers span in a range of subjects and can support maps and apps of almost every subject. Again, you do not necessarily need to create your own operational layers to use them. Tools- these perform tasks beyond mapping including query, geocoding, routing, and other specialized tasks.
• There are 3 basic tiers in WEB architecture and the generic workflow to build web GIS apps: 1.) the data tier contains formats that range from simple CSV files to more sophisticated geodatabases. This allows you to author GIS data, maps, toolboxes, and scenes. 2.) the middle tier allows you to publish desktop resources to ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise as web layers and tools. You can add the layers to web maps and web scenes and configures the styles and popups in these scenes. 3.) the client tier consists of various ready to use apps or custom apps. 
• I studied abroad in Spain this past summer. I had the opportunity to visit the city of Barcelona and see many attractions. I would create an application of the places I visited in Barcelona by starting out with a basemap of the city of Barcelona, then I would create  a featured layer with geotagged photos of me in these specific locations. Next, I would add fields to the feature layer and edit the attributes so I can add descriptions and context to each location I visited. Next, I would add my feature layer into the Map Viewer to configure its style and pop-up before finally using the Attachment Viewer to transform my web map into a web app.